The first day of FIBA Eurobasket 2013 was one full of upsets and surprises. Germany outlasted France, 80-74; Finland pulled off a 61-55 shocker against Turkey; and Latvia upended Bosnia and Herzegovina to the tune of 86-75.

Thursday's group games should be no different as all 24 teams return to action. Here are the Group A and Group B games that you should not miss:

Great Britain is coming off a 75-71 squeaker against Israel, while France tries to regroup after a shock loss to a German team with just two NBA players. France is out for revalidation as they were not expected to struggle early in the tournament, owing to their deep lineup; their cross-Channel rivals Great Britain do not figure to advance far into the tournament as far as rosters alone are considered. The French are expected to rely on their guards and swingmen such as NBA veterans Tony Parker, who scored 18 points in the loss to Germany; and Nicholas Batum.

In contrast, Great Britain will try to push slow the pace of the game down to avoid being caught in the Frenchmen's speed trap and to avoid getting gassed out at the end of the game. They will need to rely heavily on shooting guard Kyle Johnson and power forward Kieron Achara if they want to stand a chance of winning.

In a meeting of first-day losers, Lithuania and Macedonia try to bounce back. Lithuania, three years removed from their bronze finish at the World Championships, is at a crossroads after a disappointing Olympic tournament. Minus veteran guards Darius Songaila and Sarunas Jasikevicius, the team from the Baltics turned to Mantas Kalnietis for scoring. Houston Rockets centre Donatas Motiejunas barely made a dent in the game against Serbia, where he played only 3 minutes.

Macedonia is also seeking redemption after being bumped out of the 2012 Olympic qualifier. Against fellow Balkan country Montenegro, they were outscored in a grinding fourth quarter decided only by a couple of free throws. Bo McCalebb will try to atone for a missed layup that could have won the game for his team. Despite the miss, the feisty guard will be heavily relied upon for his scoring and leadership.